SEOUL, April 20, 2026, 01:33 KST
Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25 phones appear closer to getting several Galaxy S26 artificial intelligence features, after fresh reports said the tools have surfaced in late One UI 8.5 test builds for older flagships. One UI is Samsung’s Android-based phone software, and the reported additions include call screening, stronger audio cleanup and new image-editing tools.
The timing matters because Samsung’s long-running One UI 8.5 beta, or test program, is nearing a decision point. Sammy Fans reported on April 19 that a 10th beta could be the last major test build, while Android Authority said a stable rollout had been tipped for April 30 in South Korea and around May 4 globally, though Samsung has not confirmed those dates.
For Samsung, the update would help keep last year’s premium Galaxy phones competitive without forcing users to buy the Galaxy S26. The company has already widened the One UI 8.5 beta to more models, including the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Flip5, Galaxy S23 FE and Galaxy A36 5G in select markets, after an earlier expansion to the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy Z Flip6, Galaxy S25 FE, Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Tab S11.
SamMobile reported that the next Galaxy S25 beta could bring four headline AI tools: Advanced Audio Eraser, Call Screening, Creative Studio and an improved Photo Assist. Call Screening uses on-device AI to answer calls, ask who is calling and why, then provide a recording and transcript for the user to review.
Samsung described the upgraded Audio Eraser on the Galaxy S26 as a move from editing sound after recording to filtering it in real time. The company said the tool can work from the Quick Panel — the swipe-down settings menu — and lets users adjust noise reduction or boost voices while media is playing.
Creative Studio lets users generate images, style photos, design stickers and create wallpapers with AI-powered tools, Samsung’s support page says. Its Call Screening guide says Galaxy AI can vet a call and provide a live transcription before the user chooses whether to answer or reject it.
The Galaxy S24 line may not be far behind. SamMobile said a leaked internal Galaxy S24 Ultra build, firmware version S928BXXU5DZD9, showed the same four Galaxy AI features, though Creative Studio was listed as available only on devices with an S Pen.
Samsung has been trying to frame these tools as part of a broader shift from app-by-app phone use to AI agents that understand intent. Jisun Park, corporate executive vice president and head of Samsung’s Language AI team, said Bixby’s goal is to become the “primary entry point for interacting with Samsung products.” Samsung Global Newsroom
The push also keeps Samsung in the same AI phone race as Google and Apple. Google’s Pixel Call Screen can find out who is calling and why before a user answers, while Apple said iOS 26 Call Screening gathers caller information so users can decide whether to pick up or ignore the call.
Samsung says basic Galaxy AI features provided by the company are free, but it leaves room for future enhanced features or new services to be offered for a fee. That makes the One UI 8.5 rollout important not just as a software update, but as a test of how much flagship AI Samsung is willing to push down to older devices at no extra cost.
But the schedule and the final feature list are still not locked. Android Authority warned that support-agent timelines can be wrong, Samsung’s own beta notices say availability and timing vary by market, and leaked builds can change before stable release.
The next marker is April 20, when reports expect Samsung to issue another One UI 8.5 beta for the Galaxy S25. If that build includes the S26 AI tools, the stable update would look less like a routine bug-fix release and more like Samsung’s first broad AI backfill for its recent flagship phones.
